tolerable

adjective

tol·​er·​a·​ble ˈtä-lə-rə-bəl 

ˈtäl-rə-;

ˈtä-lər-bəl

1

: capable of being borne or endured

tolerable pain

2

: moderately good or agreeable : passable

a tolerable singing voice

tolerability

ˌtä-lə-rə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

ˌtäl-rə-

noun

tolerably

ˈtä-lə-rə-blē 

ˈtäl-rə-;

ˈtä-lər-blē

adverb

Synonyms

• endurable
• sustainable
• bearable
• sufferable

Examples of tolerable in a Sentence

The heat was tolerable for only a short time.

stubbing your toe is at least a more tolerable pain than breaking your foot

Recent Examples on the Web

But Gault always knew there’d be food on the table and heat making winter nights tolerable. —Jeff Pearlman, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025

Having a good boss Knowing your supervisor has your best interests in mind and having a good relationship with them can make an otherwise not-so-great job downright tolerable. —William Vanderbloemen, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2025

The serving size of 1 ounce exceeds the tolerable upper limit (UL) of selenium (the highest amount unlikely to pose a health risk). —Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 8 Oct. 2025

The tolerable upper limit of magnesium supplements in women is 350 milligrams. —Kirstyn Hill, Health, 1 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tolerable

• intolerable

Kids Definition

tolerable

adjective

tol·​er·​able

ˈtäl-(ə-)rə-bəl,

ˈtäl-ər-bəl

1

: capable of being put up with

tolerable pain

2

: fairly good

a tolerable singing voice

tolerably

-blē

adverb